JAMES BROWN THRIVING; THAT`S THE GOSPEL TRUTH

Hello, this is the home of the Godfather of Soul,'' answers the woman from an office in Augusta, Ga.

Then another voice comes on the line.

''Hello, how are you?'' says James Brown with the zest and energy of his music.

It has been 30 years since Brown burst on the American music scene with his screaming, pleading, gospelish ''Please, Please, Please,'' but he says,

''I feel like it was yesterday.''

''I feel good,'' he nearly shouted, his most famous line. ''I`m still doin` everything I ever did, and I`m having more fun than I`ve ever had in my life.''

Brown, 53, doesn`t seem to have slowed a bit. He brims with enthusiasm talking about yesterday, today and the future.

How`s he keep the pace? ''I`m looking at pretty girls all the time and thanking God to stay in shape,'' he said. ''No, put that the other way around.''

With Brown, an interview moves quickly, as he gives brief, staccato answers to questions and injects exclamations of his own.

Asked about today`s music, Brown said, ''I feel it`s gotten away from the heart and soul; we`ve got to get back to that. There`s nothing wrong with electronics as long as they keep the sweetness. But nothing in the world sounds better than wood.''

Prince`s stage demeanor reminds some of James Brown, who was famous for his leaps and spins, for his ''cape routine,'' and for throwing hundreds of pairs of cufflinks into the audience. Brown agreed that a lot of Prince`s moves, as well as those of other contemporary performers, could have come from him. ''but that`s a form of love, and I respect that,'' he said.

Brown`s thriving recording career, which produced numerous million-selling hits in the `50s and `60s, such as ''Try Me,'' ''Prisoner of Love''

and ''Papa`s Got a Brand New Bag'' hit the skids temporarily during the disco `70s.

Brown came back strong this summer with a Top 10 hit, ''Living in America'' from the movie ''Rocky IV,'' in which he also appeared. ''It`s the second national anthem,'' said Brown.

''Living in America'' hit it big at about the same time that Brown was named as one of the 10 original members of the Rock `n` Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Now comes a new Brown album titled ''Gravity,'' which includes ''Living in America'' and seven other songs. The title track is the new single and a video.

As good as this album is and many of his others have been, it`s as a performer that Brown is most memorable. His rambunctious, irrepressible stage shows have earned him such nicknames as ''Mr. Dynamite'' and ''The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business.''

Working with bands of up to 14 musicians and with several backup singers and a dancer or two, Brown offers two- to three-hour shows that usually leave an audience exhausted.

Brown is constantly on the road, where he often sets attendance records.

''I drew 1.3 million people in Paris, the largest audience ever to see a show,'' he said. ''I just did 130,000 in Madrid and 66,000 in Switzerland. I did 200,000 in Zaire, Africa. I was in Morocco. I just had an offer to go to Tel Aviv. I`m looking forward to Russia and China.''

A religious man, Brown said he was ''born again'' about eight years ago, and said that if he had his life to lead over again, the only change he would make would be to ''serve God more.'' When not on the road, he attends St. Peter Baptist Church in Elko, S.C., where his family lives. His family includes a second wife and five children, several of whom, he said, seem destined for music careers.

The product of a poverty-stricken rural Tennessee family, Brown said he visited with Pope John Paul II several months ago.

''A fine man,'' said Brown of the pope. ''Truly a God-sent man. He told me three times to continue my great artistry. He said it was very important to keep people happy.''

Brown also has visited President Reagan, and said he looks forward to meeting other members of the Reagan family, of whom he said, ''They brought pride back to the country.''

Brown`s rags-to-riches story now has been told in an autobiography titled, of course, ''The Godfather of Soul.'' In the book, written with Bruce Tucker, Brown says, ''I reveal that a man can make it if he believes in God and serves the people. You must give the people all of you.''